I really don't want to sound negative here, and I hope to test drive a Diesel one this week, if I find the time. Last week I had a test booked, but one of the staff had taken it home for the weekend, on a Thursday night! This, the most current and popular car Fiat has...and they have a forecourt full of any number of different cars... Never mind, I like the people at the dealers, and they did ring up to apologise, while I was out - but patience. I won't buy one anyway until the new twin cylinder motor arrives and I have made that clear. No; what I am detecting here is a sense of chaos caused by a combination of very confusing specification (my salesman told me some people have been frightened off buying by the difficulty of understanding the specs and making up their minds!) and the lack of assured knowledge by many of the sales staff. Different salespeople give completely different answers to straightforward questions - like is there a 'memory' on the seat tilting mechanism, or not. If they don't know, and can't demonstrate, then......

and now confusion about servicing charges.

This is not a very cheap small car. BMW was clever in offering an excellent all-in service deal covering the first three years of the MINI for a silly price. What is Fiat offering? Really, I haven't explored this in detail so I don't know, but there seems to be confusion. Confusion leads to uncertainty, which leads to hesitancy, which leads to lost sales. The public is very positive, but if Fiat continues to hype up the 500 without the substance to support the buying, and running, procedures, then the usual Fiat negativity will soon follow. The company should just offer a comprehensive guarantee and service package for all buyers, and be done with it. There is no second chance to make a first impression. Sorry about this cliche, but it fits.

Anyone confused by the trim levels(3) must have a sub 50 IQ. If Fiat put another £1000 on the 500 to the equavalent Mini levels they could probably afford to provide a cheap service package.

Admittedly a few of the dealerships are somewhat lacking in their product knowledge but you've only got to look at The Beast and Scrogg on here to see that there are some salesman who know their stuff and have a genuine interest in the product.

The service costs of the 500 are hideously expensive. Far more than the Panda equivalent and all we can do is ask why?
With the finance package and the service costs one can only assume that Fiat is trying to recoup the £ for the competative sales price of the 500.
Even their attempt to make the 5yr warranty not worth taking is interesting.

A couple of years of poor sales will make the 500 an unbeatable deal. If only I could hold out - but I cant :bang: its too nice to say no too !

Jake_in_notts said:

A couple of years of poor sales will make the 500 an unbeatable deal.

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I can't see the poor sales happening but inevitably the 'deals' will increase over time.

It really isn't a cheap car, given that most of the technology is carried over from the Panda and the development costs were paid by Ford with the new Ka manufacturing deal undertaken with Fiat. Obviously, Fiat doesn't want to make a loss on it, but the Mini was a completely original chassis, notwithstanding carry-over (expensive) suspensions and the Brazilian engine.

The possible trim and spec combinations are complicated if people want a solid roof (Pop) and then have to add equipment to bring the specs back to near Lounge, or Sport. I just think that more clarity by Fiat would help here.

Doubtless some salesmen love Fiat and the product, that's obvious from the Forum, and some Techs too, but too many are disinterested at best, and sometimes in the showroom this shows. The Mini salespeople were very genned up at launch and the buying process was very slick indeed - but I suppose they were sellers dedicated to one car, and that must have helped.

I'm new to Fiat, well we did have a Panda some years back but I don't count that as something I want to remember.

I have to say my experience of the purchase so far is that Fiat kind of ran out of time before the launch and are still catching up. There does seem to be a lack of knowledge on the part of some dealers, a lot of the information I wanted has been found on this forum, but there are still unresolved queries like servicing costs. I'm told locally it will be similar to the Panda but I don't have any firm figures so now I'm buying it I could come back for the first service and find horrifically expensive bills........hopefully not.

I think the trim levels are fine and the online configurator is pretty good compared to some others. You have a base model, the Pop, and two higher spec models, the lounge which is the retro style model and the sport which is the sport model, both offering slightly different levels of gadgets and finish.

We will see how the final stages of the purchase and handover goes.

I do think the car is reasonably priced, with the level of gadgets you'll be hard pushed to find something similar out there at the same price.

Ulpian said:

The Mini salespeople were very genned up at launch and the buying process was very slick indeed - but I suppose they were sellers dedicated to one car, and that must have helped.

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Most MINI sales people were recruited specifically to sell MINI before or shortly after the dealerships opened in 2001, and were all sent on a week-long residential induction course, whereas virtually all Fiat sales people have had a new model, and a totally new way of ordering a car, thrust upon them with, at best, a two-day training course to prepare them for it.

I'm not trying to justify poor customer service/product knowledge in any way, but when someone has been used to selling a range of cars where availability is almost immediate and there are very rigid model ranges with few options available it can be difficult for them to quickly adapt to the complete opposite.

I spent two years with MINI before joining Fiat (which is one of the reasons I was recruited) so the way the 500 is configured/personalised etc is second nature to me, but not all Fiat sales people are finding it as easy so quickly.

Yes, it is reasonably priced, but not inexpensive, and the kit is very good.

I would hope that the servicing costs are similar to the Panda's; why not?

I find that the younger people in sales tend to be the sparkiest and most on the ball, and I agree that the launch rather Tsunamied them all, which is understandable I suppose given the very brief familiarisation period.

But there is a chronic lack of product knowledge there with some of them. I asked one guy when the Bravo with the 1.6 Diesel 120 engine was being released, and he swore there was no such engine produced by Fiat. I know it's a new motor, but it has already been tested by the British mags and so is public knowledge, and the salespeople should have been informed that it's on the way by Fiat. He wasn't trying to blag me into looking at the 1.9 JTD 120 either.

Just seen your post Scrogg, and I concur. It will all settle very soon and we'll be seeing them on the road.

Ulpian said:

I asked one guy when the Bravo with the 1.6 Diesel 120 engine was being released

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Demonstrators arriving mid-March (we're all getting one) and order books open in April

Now, if you could just set up your own dealership....thanks!

Ulpian said:

Now, if you could just set up your own dealership....

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Not a chance!

I'll stick to just taking a salary off someone else and being able to finish work at 6 and sleep at night without worrying myself to drink/drugs/death thanks!

Scrogg said:

I'm not trying to justify poor customer service/product knowledge in any way, but when someone has been used to selling a range of cars where availability is almost immediate and there are very rigid model ranges with few options available it can be difficult for them to quickly adapt to the complete opposite.

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I can't agree with that statement enough. Having been with Fiat as a new salesman and only really knowing used and pre reg car sales. The 500 has been a scary proposition for myself and the rest of the salesmen in my garage and I would assume the majority of garages. It's just so much more complicated.

We are slowly getting there though.

T14086 said:

Take it elsewhere for servicing then!

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thats not the point i am making, as you would lose the warranty

The point i am making is that i will take all my business elsewhere I.e. buy another car? I'm sure that is in nobodys interests long term

Simmo1 said:

thats not the point i am making, as you would lose the warranty

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No you won't.

I'm sorry, am I missing something here?

What are the costs per year on dealer servicing?

Mark Elvin said:

I'm sorry, am I missing something here?

What are the costs per year on dealer servicing?

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using Fiats service plan. Over 3 years it's £711 for the 1.2 £648 for the 1.4 £594 for the Derv.

However dealers will offer their own service plans at much cheapness compared to that and you can get the servicing done at any vat registered garage.
Example my dealer group does a 3 year plan for £349.

But what about the normal service costs, if someone just booked it in, sya for a 12k service or a 24k one

The Beast said:

No you won't.

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probably not, until you want to claim.... for your faulty head gasket...

I have to say I found the whole configurating thing really simple, the online configurator is better thean any other Ive used, and very simple to use. The little book Fiat sent me also was easy to understand, I dont get that people are finding it hard to see what you get in each trim. Choosing other options is a nightmare though
What would have been nice was for Fiat to have at least had all engines and trims available to drive at launch.

As for service, yes the costs for the 1.2 seem high... the diesel seems moderately expensive. In Fiats defence, has anyone seen under a 500 bonnet... its really cramped

Re develpoment costs, I thought Fiat did all the development, and Ford got interested because they have no money left to develope a new Ka?

The Beast said:

using Fiats service plan. Over 3 years it's £711 for the 1.2 £648 for the 1.4 £594 for the Derv.

However dealers will offer their own service plans at much cheapness compared to that and you can get the servicing done at any vat registered garage.
Example my dealer group does a 3 year plan for £349.

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I take you are in Scotland? If so, damn!!!! :bang: